Portland paramedic wins Star of Life award by American Ambulance Association

in Portland, has been selected as a 2014 Star of Life by the American Ambulance Association. Montgomery is one of 100 recipients nationwide to receive the award, the highest honor an EMS professional can receive.

Montgomery, who has worked in emergency services for 10 years, will be recognized at the 2014 Stars of Life event in Washington, D.C. this month. His drive to maintain his clinical skills showed during an off-duty event at a local soccer field.

After finishing the first half of an adult league soccer game, Montgomery heard yelling from the opposite side of the field and realized someone was suffering from cardiac arrest. Montgomery found the patient without a pulse and not breathing. He coached trained bystanders on scene, coordinating their efforts to provide CPR and ventilation while another bystander ran to the nearby school to obtain an AED (automated external defibrillator). The patient was later transported to the hospital and was ultimately discharged home.